Sunday, August 03, 2014

So begins August (with good intentions)

July was a month of good reading even though I didn't meet some of my goals. I did read a book for the Japanese Lit Challenge 8, but I didn't read anything for Spanish Lit Month and my Paris in July books were all originally written in English.

So why am I setting myself for this? Can I really set and keep a goal to read in a specific area? And keep up with the Japanese Lit Challenge?

Biblibio has set this up to:

Increase the dialogue and discussion about women writers in translation

Read more books by women in translation

How can I not try to participate? I have the books in my TBR stack(s). Plus, I have two good library sources.

I've finished two books so far in August. Neither is in translation, but both are by women and neither author is from the USA. Road Ends; Lawson, Mary (Canadian, the book is set in northern Ontario and London.) and The Three; Lotz, Sarah (lives in Cape Town, South Africa--I'm not sure where she was born. The book is set all over the world.) So August, so far, is at least international.

So, next up, I'll try to make things count by reading some translated works by women that include some from Spanish and French (set in Paris, if I find something).

So this is what's on my TBR shelf that qualifies. Lots of choice (including three anthologies). I think that's plenty to choose from. I was surprised to find thirteen languages in the individual volumes, with the anthologies giving another ten (possibly more, I haven't checked them all). And I haven't looked at what's on my Kindle.

How and when to start: I have two library books to finish (out of renewals on both), but that shouldn't take more than a few days and they can overlap. So I should start tonight, maybe with some short stories. Another problem is a stack of ARC's (none are women in translation--what does that say?)

Of course, if I get a notice from the library that my hold for the new Murakami has been filled. Sigh...I will have to drop everything and read it as there will be no renewals for it.